Moms famous chili

Today I woke up to freezing hardwood floors, whistling wind and dappled sunshine, in other words an ideal fall day. I am currently 20 1/2 weeks pregnant and craving red meat, this is after all around the time my iron depletion in my system occurs. This chili makes me so happy and it's so yummy! With only 8 ingredients, it's very quick and simple to whip up. I use my crockpot to keep it hot all afternoon and evening long.

For just my husband and I, I cut my mom's recipe in half...double this is you want more.

- 1 LB very lean ground sirloin
- 1 28 oz can stewed tomatoes (lightly blended or food processed)
- 1 small can seasoned tomato paste
- 1 can dark red kidney beans
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 1 medium green pepper
- 1 Packet of chili seasoning

Brown meat in a skillet, drain and add chili seasoning. In the crockpot, combine all the above ingredients and then add a can of your preferred beer. Set to low and let heat for about 2 hours before starting to enjoy. In my family we top with with cheddar and sour cream and eat with potato chips! MMMM! 

Zucchini pancakes

Since Zucchini has been in season, I have been wanting to make something creative with them. When I came across this recipe in one of my cookbooks, it looked so simple and tasty I had to try it. Most of the ingredients will already be in your fridge or pantry. These came out great crisp and brown on the outside and moist and flavorful on the inside, even my dog was begging for them.

 

Stromboli night!

These were experimental but I was so happy with the results, I already want to make these again. But of course I'm going to try and wait at least a week. I know a recipe is good when I feel panicked that there won't be any left for me, which is what happened, I got 3 slices of the pepperoni and my husband ate the whole log that night. The next day he finished off the spinach one, I felt robbed, so next time I'll have to make more? Or put a muzzle on my husband.

The recipe below is just what I did, you can switch up the pizza dough, homemade or premade, or do one type for both. The homemade dough cooked at 350 for about 34 minutes, the canned pizza dough was done after 23 minutes.

Homemade Pizza Dough:

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon pure olive oil
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 cups bread flour (for bread machines)
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Olive oil, for the pizza crust
• Flour, for dusting the pizza peel

Directions

Place the sugar, salt, olive oil, water, 1 cup of flour, yeast, and remaining cup of flour into the mixer's work bowl.

Using the paddle attachment, start the mixer on low and mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball. Lube the hook attachment with cooking spray. Attach the hook to the mixer and knead for 15 minutes on medium speed.

Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc. Stretch the dough until thin. Hold it up to the light and look to see if the baker's windowpane, or taut membrane, has formed. If the dough tears before it forms, knead the dough for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

Roll the pizza dough into a smooth ball on the countertop. Place into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.

Place the pizza stone or tile onto the bottom of a cold oven and turn the oven to its highest temperature, about 500 degrees F. If the oven has coils on the oven floor, place the tile onto the lowest rack of the oven.

Split the pizza dough into 2 equal parts using a knife or a dough scraper. Flatten into a disk onto the countertop and then fold the dough into a ball.

Wet hands barely with water and rub them onto the countertop to dampen the surface. Roll the dough on the surface until it tightens. Cover one ball with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes.


Spinach Stromboli:

3 ounces frozen spinach, cooked and drained

2/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

1 clove Minced/crushed garlic

1/4 cup diced Onion 

1 tablespoon dried basil or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Sautee spinach, onion and garlic, remove from heat and add spinach, ricotta, seasonings and parmesan. Layer onto dough shaped into a 12x14 rectangle. Sprinkle with mozzerella (as much as desired). Roll up and place on cookie sheet, brush with egg wash and bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).

Pizza Stromboli:

3/4 cup chopped pepperoni

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 tbs Minced Garlic 

This one is super simple..

Sprinkle pepperoni, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese, onion, and garlic to within 1/2 in. of edges.

Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350°

Chicken flautas

These were quick and delicious and so easy. I usually am very picky about Mexican chicken dishes, and this is one that definitely won me over, I will definitely be making these again.

 

Quick and Easy Baked Chicken Flautas
Makes 6

Ingredients:
filling:
2 cups roasted chicken, shredded
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 poblano, seeded and diced
1 ear yellow corn, kernels and milk removed from husk
1/3 cup prepared salsa
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

6 8 inch flour tortillas
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place chicken into a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Pour oil into a medium sauté pan and place over medium-high heat.
4. Saute onion, poblano and corn for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
5. Pour onion mixture over chicken and toss together. Add remaining filling ingredients to chicken and onion mixture and stir together until mixed together. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Place a heaping 1/3 cup of the filling into one of the tortillas and spread into a log.
7. Tightly roll tortilla and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down.
8. Repeat until all of the tortillas and filling have been used.
9. Bake flautas for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tortillas have crisped up and turned golden brown. Slice each in half and serve with sour cream.

Chicken piccata

This chicken Piccata recipe I originally saw on Food Network. It's an Ina recipe, but I made my own recipe for asparagus and red potatoes as a side. The chicken instructions and breading were perfect, but the sauce I wasn't crazy about. I had to add some garlic and a bit of cream to take the tartness out, perhaps the 2 lemons I juiced were larger than the ones she used in hers, and it came out too sour. Other than that it was a really delicious meal and it made the whole house smell great. I will still be searching for a perfect sauce recipe to go along with the chicken.

 

Here is the recipe!

Stuffed shells

These are timely but worth it.

 The Recipe:
Jar of your favorite meatless spaghetti sauce. ( around 28 oz.)
1T. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced.

 1 1/4 lbs. ground turkey

1 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry (given a rough chop)

 1 8oz. cream cheese softened

1 pkg. Italian shredded cheese.
2 c. grated parmesan cheese divided
1 cup chopped jarred roasted red bell pepper.( I used Dell' Alpe Italian roasted style peppers)

 1/2. t. each salt and pepper

1- 12oz. package large pasta shells cooked according to directions. Use a large pot of boiling water with some oil in the water. Gently drain them, they will tear and lay them out on paper towel lined cookie sheet to drain and cool.
preheat oven to 350
In a large skillet heat OO over med/ high heat, add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add turkey and cook till brown and crumbly. Drain any grease. Remove from heat, stir in spinach, cream cheese,cheese, 1 1/2 c. of the parm. cheese, red bell peppers, s&p. Spoon into shells. Use a large, sprayed 9x13 pan or large pan if you have one. Pour 1/2 of sauce in pan. Place shells in a even layer over sauce. Spoon remaining sauce over shells. Bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. parmesan cheese. Bake an additional 15 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie Bowls

 Here is my favorite Chicken Pot Pie Recipe ever - I loved this recipe cause my husband is super picky if he doesn't like certain veggies, I can simply split the recipe and my pie can have different ingredients than the others. I was able to just split the recipe in half and make individual pies, the only difference in these pies was mine had onion and my husbands didn't. You can add or replace any vegetable you prefer. It's pretty simple and the results are tasty and impressive.

Cashew chicken

This is a recipe I found online that I altered slightly to taste more savory than sweet. It's one of the ways I can get my husband to eat a large variety of veggies, because everything is smothered in delicious garlic lemon gravy.

Spinach pie and Breakfast Bake

I love spinach pie, but my husband can't call it a dinner unless he gets served some type of meat, so I always make my turkey sausage egg bake as well when I make a spinach pie. I seriously can't have one without the other now.

Greek pita pizza

This is a quick fix for dinner when I have ground turkey on hand. It's not traditional Greek, I'd say it's just inspired from. It's easy to make, a  nice alternative to taco night.

Barbecue chicken pizza

Top a layer of tangy barbecue sauce with freshly grated mozzarella, grilled chicken slathered with sauce, feta, and banana peppers, bake and devour.

Irish beef stew

This was my first crack at making a beef stew, it was timely but worth it. I made this for St.Patrick's day weekend along with the recipe for my mother's Irish soda bread. This meal was more than enough to feed me and my husband for 2 dinners and maybe a lunch.

  I bought 2 lbs of beef, browned it in oil, then added 4 cups of water, 4 bouillon cubes, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 3 tbs parsley and pepper to taste....simmered for 1 hour then added one onion, 6 large carrots, 4 stalks of celery and 6 good sized red potatoes. Stewed another hour. I thickened the gravy by dissolving corn starch in water and adding some of the hot broth. I served this with homemade Irish soda bread, my husband loved this meal, very hearty, definitely a mans meal.

Thai chili chicken pasta

After losing my sense of smell and taste for nearly four days and my sinuses only slightly getting better, I remembered this spicy and sweet dish. This is an altered crock pot recipe, that is yummy, hot and delicious.

Greek lemon rice soup

This soup will make your whole home smell heavenly. It's a simple delicious combination of chicken broth, white rice, freshly squeezed lemons and fresh parsley. Cook 1/2 cup white rice in one quart chicken broth, until rice is cooked. Combine juice of 3 lemons with 2 eggs and 5 tbs fresh parsley, incorporate the hot broth into the egg mixture before adding it to the pot with a whisk, mix and let thicken. I also added some chicken breasts to make it more of a meal. Serve with French bread or oyster crackers.

Herb tilapia with shallot cream sauce

This Delicious dish is very indulgent. Tilapia filets are marinated in fresh lemon juice and lemon pepper, red mashed potatoes and grilled garlic asparagus are surrounded by a pool of cream sauce made with shallots, lemon, wine, and butter and of course cream. It's a very filling and rich dinner.

White Chili

Recipe

Lemon Basil Pasta and Chicken

Recipe - Click Here! 
Made this - very tangy and yummy. Got very sticky though, will need to work on that.

Spinach Feta Pie

I tried this recipe using a frozen 9 inch deep dish pie crust, it was very tasty! Click here for the filling recipe.

Slow-Cooked Mexican Chicken

Shredded Mexican Crock-Pot Chicken perfect for nachos, burritos and tacos.

Queso Blanco Dip

Yummy and simple dip recipe - great for nachos.